As we know, the 2013 curriculum and the independent curriculum have different goals to improve community resources, and certainly have their own advantages and disadvantages, and based on several sources that I have obtained, these two curricula definitely have their respective advantages and disadvantages. The 2013 curriculum and the Merdeka curriculum have similarities in their objectives, namely orientation to a student's active learning in lessons.
The 2013 curriculum was issued in 2013 to replace the 2006 curriculum (KTSP), this curriculum provides more general material for students to study and summarizes the material to make it easier to understand, all material is summarized in one book which is called integrated thematic. Meanwhile, the Merdeka curriculum was launched in 2021 by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology (Kemendikbudristek, designed to overcome several weaknesses of the 2013 curriculum, this program is designed to overcome several weaknesses of the 2013 curriculum, this program focuses on developing student competence and character, with an emphasis on literacy, numeracy, and student character education. This is aimed at expanding the reach of education so that it can meet the needs of all students, including those with special needs.
In terms of the level of flexibility, the two curricula have different methods, after looking at the 2013 curriculum in the long term, this program tends to be more structured with detailed learning outcomes, even though the material is collected in one book, it already includes several subjects in it, regarding the material given to students. Of course, it depends on how the teacher explains it, whether in detail or just general things that are discussed. Meanwhile, the Merdeka curriculum is more flexible, this program gives schools and teachers the freedom to adapt to student needs and local conditions. In this case, each student is considered to have unique and different potential so the right approach must be adapted to their needs.
However, the 2013 curriculum method of learning using one thematic book has received a lot of criticism because of the high learning load, where a teacher must understand all the subject matter in one book and explain it in detail to students. This is also one of the reasons for the emergence of the Merdeka curriculum to reduce the burden on teachers and the cognitive burden on students, where a student can freely develop their creative potential and abilities. This is done by providing reinforcement in subjects related to students' skills.
And the effectiveness of each curriculum depends on factors, including teacher readiness and education system support.
Some parties argue that the Independent Curriculum is more effective because:
* More flexible and adaptive to local needs.
* Reduce the administrative burden on teachers.
* Focus more on character development and essential skills.
However, there are also those who argue that 2013 curriculum is more effective in terms of:
* Clearer and more detailed structure.
